About the Author

Who is Robyn

Robyn Braley is committed to helping Rotarians grow their clubs to become better equipped to help people who need help. He has led two club teams that were awarded RI PR Awards and served as the District 5360 PR Chair. He has been a Rotarian since 1999.

Rotary Speaker

Robyn draws from his experience as a Rotarian and as a Communications Professional to share ways to more effectively tell the Rotary story to your community. He starts by asking the questions, "Is your club ready to grow, and why does it matter?" The ultimate focus is on attracting new members.

He is available to speak at District Conferences and Rotary leadership training institutes. Content also applies to other not-for-profit organizations.

Free Content for #Rotary and NFP Use

Please use any posts for Rotary District or club Newsletters. Include the profile at the bottom of each article, Robyn's headshot and a link to this blogsite. Let him know and he'll promote it to his social media followers.

Contact him at robyn@unimarkcreative.com

Thursday, 19 February 2015

Tips For Creating A Rotary Elevator Speech That Works

An elevator speech provides a conversation starter.

Written by Robyn T.
Braley

How do you explain Rotary? There
are so many chapters to the Rotary story that telling it in 4 to 5 sentences is
next to impossible.

But, there is the rub. People today, especially millennials,
are accustomed to receiving information in short, concise bytes.

A short, concise elevator speech provides a place from which
to launch into meaningful conversations about Rotary. Crafting an elevator speech will help engage others into your club’s brand
experience.

You can also use it for social media profiles, booking
speakers, pitching stories to the media, in brochures, approaching funding
partners and many other day-to-day Rotary activities.

What
is it?

So, “What is an elevator speech?”
It’s not what you think.

It’s certainly not a spontaneous political
speech given by a candidate in an elevator packed with victims praying the door
will open at the next floor – make that any floor. Neither is it a motivational
speech designed to “lift” Rotarians to new levels of service. Nor is it the speech given by the town
mayor just before an abandoned Canadian prairie grain elevator is blown to
smithereens leaving a mile high mushroom cloud of atom sized dust particiles.

An elevator speech is meant to provide a starting place for
launching into a more in-depth conversation about your Rotary club. The
conversation will hopefully lead to a relationship with people you want or need
to know.

How does it Work?I use a simple illustration to explain the
principle of elevator speeches in my marketing seminar, ‘Bootstrapping with
Broken Laces.’

You are in the lobby of a tall building when you
spot a prospective client waiting for an elevator. You have been trying to
contact this person for months.

Your efforts have been futile because their executive
assistant is an all-star gate keeper. You realize you have been given a
gift and that this may be your only chance to meet them face-to-face.

You stealthily follow them into the elevator trying
hard not to appear relaxed and not creepy. There are just the two of you
in the car.

Pleasantries are exchanged between the ground and 2nd floor.
Between the 2nd and 4th floor you skillfully bob and weave as you deliver your
speech. From the 4th to the 6th floor you ask a probing
question or two and listen intently to their answers before transitioning to
the final step.

The goal is to “seal the deal” between the 7th
and 8th floors. That usually means exchanging business cards, getting an email
address, committing to send more information or scheduling a meeting. On rare –
make that very rare – occasions it could actually mean, “sealing the
deal.”

Building your Speech

Here is a Rotary model I provide in
my Building the Rotary Brand seminars. Before you read it I need to make full
disclosure about the information. It’s made up. It is a figment of my
imagination. It’s pure fiction.

Why do I feel I need to clarify
this point? After one seminar and a Rotarian came up after asking if the
Greenvale club was in District 5360. True story!

The Greenvale Rotary Club is a group of like-minded professionals who
have a passion for making a difference in our city and around the world. We are
leaders who love helping people with a focus on children and families.

Each week our members are inspired by excellent speakers who inform us about interesting topics or challenge
us to be better people. We enjoy the friendship of fellow Rotarians who also like to have fun. We meet every Thursday at 7:00 am at the Holiday
Inn.

Less Is More

Does that describe your club? The challenge is
to use the fewest number of words possible. If your speech is really well
crafted, it will highlight your clubs benefits and hint at why the person you
are talking to may want more information.

I’ve used my business speech during telephone
cold calls, in emails, at business receptions, social events, funerals,
weddings, conferences, concerts, in church foyers and during Rotary luncheons.
And yes, even in elevators.

It took time to develop a speech that rolled off
my tongue and didn’t sound rehearsed. Now our entire team uses a personalized
version of the same one. It has become part of our brand.

Real Life Example

My
passion for Rotary service is our club’s speakers program. I use the elevator speech
to invite prospective speakers.

Would
you consider speaking to the Calgary West Rotary Club on Friday, April
24th or Friday May the 29th? We meet at the Grey Eagle Hotel
and Event Centre at noon.

We
are a vibrant club of about 75 members with an average of approximately 55 at
each luncheon. Calgary has a strong speakers program that features experts
talking about a variety of topics.

While
we support numerous local humanitarian organizations like the Food bank and
Habitat for Humanity, internationally we tend to focus on micro-credit
projects, building houses for the poorest of the poor in Mexico, and building
13+ schools in a remote area of Guatemala. Lots of clean water projects as
well.

Make It LiveYour elevator speech will be a living, breathing thing. Edit, polish,
slash and brutally cut.

After you’ve written your speech – and note the word written
- put copies on your desk, in your car and in your bathroom. Practice saying it
out loud. Role play it. Street test it. When you say it the first time or
two, it will probably feel clumsy. Go back, revisit and re-edit.

Now, follow your prospect into the elevator
remembering not to appear creepy. Press the close door button and enjoy the
ride.

Eight Tips for Crafting a Powerful Elevator Speech
1. Define what makes you unique?
2. Identify hot words that resonate in the market you’re selling
into.
3. Craft three to four short sentences. Cut the fat.
4. Research powerful action words that apply to what you do.
5. Identify a key benefit you offer.
6. Inject energy, enthusiasm and passion.
7. Be proud – not in a bragging but a confident way.
8. Smile, be warm and engaging. Be a person the prospect would like to
learn more about.

Robyn Braley is a marketing specialist, keynote speaker and writer. He is also
a Rotarian who is passionate about Building the Rotary Brand. Robyn has led two
teams that received the Rotary International PR Award. He has also served as
the PR Chair for District 5360.